Now that our Executive Retreat has wrapped up—be sure to check out the post-event article and picture gallery in our next issue—we’re hard at work preparing all the details of the 2017 Chauffeur Driven Show, scheduled for an October 22-25 return to the Sunshine State. We’ve chosen the stunning Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando—a destination unto itself—for an all-under-one-roof show that minimizes walking and maximizes networking. We thank our generous Title Sponsors Grech Motors and Ford-Lincoln Limousine and Livery Vehicles for once again supporting our show, and Education Sponsor Fasttrak Cloud Technologies.
Last month, we shared an overview of the event, including returning favorites such as the Affiliate Central Global Partner Forum and amped-up Benchmark Breakouts. We’ll have a lot more information as the summer rolls on in both the magazine and on our show website at chauffeurdrivenshow.com. Now, we dive into the education we have planned for operators of all sizes and years in business.
“The many central aspects of your business—your employees, your fleet, your ideals—will be at the forefront of this year’s educational focus.”
TNCs have dominated the conversation for the past several years, and we’ll continue to bring you the latest updates and victories, but now it’s time to flip the script and focus squarely on the future of the industry. The many central aspects of your business—your employees, your fleet, your ideals—will be at the forefront of this year’s educational focus. CD Publisher Chris Weiss has been working directly with our Education Committee—which includes co-chairs Kristen Carroll of The LMC Group and Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Worldwide, Sami Elotmani of Destination MCO, Kim Garner of BEST Transportation of St. Louis, and Tony Simon of Reston Limousine—to produce a lineup of seminars and workshops that address the realities of the industry today, with a healthy dose of what’s next for our sector of transportation.
Fleet diversity with buses and motorcoaches continues to be among the top trends, and you can be assured that we will delve into that world with two sessions. The first session, Carving Your Niche by Growing Your Bus and Motorcoach Business, will offer a blueprint of how to navigate the motorcoach world—and even how to sell bus work without owning a bus. The second session, Rules of the Road: Staying on Top of Bus and Motorcoach Regulations, tackles the ever-evolving issue of DOT audits and how to prepare your company to handle that increased paperwork load with the larger, highly regulated vehicles.
Capturing new sales and holding on to current customers is always an industry favorite as you strive to stay competitive while increasing profits. In Client Retention and Proactive Service Recovery in a Buyer’s Market, our speakers will show you how to be as proactive as possible when it comes to retaining your client base. We’ll share methods and policies you can institute to appease customers when a service issue inevitably arises. For our smaller operators, we have a comprehensive workshop on maximizing profits and growth by capturing business that is within your reach. It will also include resources that are available for those businesses on the move, while preparing you for adding staff and/or fleet. Finally, we’ll broach the topic of doing worldwide business in Competing in a Global Economy and on an International Stage. Key issues covered will include overcoming language and currency hurdles, finding untapped opportunities, and leveraging those important worldwide relationships.
“This lineup of sessions—for operators of all sizes, locations, and years in business—will arm you with the confidence to tackle anything that comes your way ...”
Sales are always critical but so too is minimizing your expenses. Operators continue to see increases in their insurance premiums—an unavoidable cost when running a transportation business. This year, you’ll hear from your industry peers on how you can best position your company when shopping for insurance, managing the claims process, and preemptive ideas to keep your costs in check with Are You Getting the Best Possible Insurance Rates? We know every operator can benefit from this session.
Business is not only global, but also driven by technology—which can be a wonderful and sometimes difficult thing to keep up with. Managing the online persona for your company has never been more critical to customer satisfaction. It has, however, issued its own set of challenges, especially in the realm of cyber security. Multimillion-dollar companies have the resources to protect their tech infrastructure, so hackers are habitually going after softer targets: namely, small businesses like yours. In Protecting Yourself and Your Business from Network and Cyber Threats, we’ll show you how to insulate your operation from a data breach and protect your valuable clients’ data. This is one session you don’t want to miss. On the other end of the spectrum, customers are leaving online reviews of products and services all over the internet, all of which are easily searchable and could impact the impression of your company on potential clients. In Managing Online Reviews and Dealing With Potential PR Challenges, we’ll attempt to eliminate that anxiety by teaching you how to effectively craft your online presence and deal with negative (and sometimes exaggerated or untrue) reviews. You can’t stop bad PR, but you can learn to handle it like a pro.
We’re in a low-unemployment market right now, so recruiting and keeping the right people is harder than ever—especially your chauffeurs. Don’t worry; we have you covered. Finding and Keeping High-Caliber Chauffeurs and Office Staff will show you great places to both find and attract top talent to your operation as well as methods to know when it’s time to add to your team. Of course, finding talent is only one half of the battle; will that person mesh well with the rest of your staff? They’re fantastic on paper but will they collapse under pressure? We’ll explore personality traits and valuable tools in Leveraging Employee-Focused Leadership with Personality Testing. Further, these types of evaluation will help your staff better understand how to handle and serve your client to produce happy, lifelong fans. Finally, in Effectively Handling Diversity in the Workplace, we’ll explore the legal and professional obligations of workplace diversity, including HR policies regarding minorities, religion, and the LGBTQ community.
Finally, we have a session that will hit home for a lot of operators who are quickly approaching retirement or looking to start their second act. With increased competition from ridesharing companies, consolidation and acquisitions are only increasing. As a good portion of company owners enter their 50s and 60s, many are thinking about their future. Worry not because we’ll explore those issues in The Impact of Industry Consolidation on Exit Strategy Planning. All smart businesspeople have a plan, and we’ll show you how to move on—whether it’s stepping into a less senior role, promoting family, or selling outright.
Industry education really is the cornerstone of everything we do at Chauffeur Driven, and our show is the best place to hear from many leading transportation and business professionals who know what it’s like. It’s imperative to consistently challenge yourself and push outside your comfort zones in order to grow. This lineup of sessions—for operators of all sizes, locations, and years in business—will arm you with the confidence to tackle anything that comes your way, while helping you to consider the next phase of your company.
Ready for more? Visit chauffeurdrivenshow.com for all of the details you need about our rapidly approaching show, including registration and hotel information. Orlando is where it’s at this October! [CD0717]